Google Bans Self-Updating Android Apps

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Updating Android apps is usually very simple: Click on the Google
Play Store app, My Apps and "Update all." You can even set apps
to update automatically. This process is simple for the end user,
but creates a time-consuming middleman for app creators.

Some apps tried to circumvent this process by including automatic
updaters right in the app, but Google has put a stop to this
process: As of now, all
Google Play Store app updates will come via the Play Store or
not at all.

This ban on auto-updaters only applies to software acquired
through the Play Store. Users can still install third-party apps
from stores such as Amazon or Tencent, or even directly from the
Web, by allowing app installation from "unknown sources" in a
phone or tablet's settings.

Amazon and Tencent provide reputable apps, like the Play Store,
but downloading Android apps from the Web is a little like the
Wild West: Some are good, but most are dangerous hotbeds of
malware and pirated
apps.

The issue received considerable attention last month when
Facebook — one of the most popular Android apps — automatically
downloaded an update and pestered users with unrelenting
vibrations and beeps until they broke down and installed it.

Luckily for Android users, this was a perfectly legitimate
Facebook update and presented no threat, but it still
circumvented the protective Play Store entirely.

Google does not object to
Facebook's self-updates specifically, but rather seems
concerned that they might set a perilous precedent. Less savory
apps could easily present a safe download in the curated Play
Store, then apply malicious updates as soon as users install it.
Common Android hacks can irritate users with ads, gain access to
private photos or even compromise financial information.

The guidelines for the Google Play Store changed last Thursday
(April 25), according to
Droid Life. Now, apps that allow self-updaters are listed
under the "Dangerous Products" supposedly forbidden in the store.

"An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or
update its own [code] by any method other than Google Play's
update mechanism," the new language states.

Clearly, Google is not taking a hard-line approach, since the
Facebook app is still up and running, and widely available.
However, it will have to change its update protocols if it wants
to retain its spot in the Play Store.

Apps
without Facebook's clout may face expulsion, but the Play Store
has generally been lenient in the past, choosing to issue
warnings rather than ban apps outright.

This protocol update will patch a potential security flaw before
it becomes a major issue, which is always the best time to do it.
As for Facebook, it will have to continue to deal with updating
through the Play Store: a hassle for coders, but a boon for
everyday users.